U.S. Bishops to Address Pornography’s ‘Serious Challenges’ (4974)

Bishop Richard Malone of Buffalo, N.Y., cites statistics that show that the material is ‘a significant factor’ in nearly 60% of divorces.

Bishop Richard Malone of Buffalo, N.Y., is the chairman-elect of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth.

BALTIMORE — The U.S. bishops have overwhelmingly approved the creation of a statement on pornography to address the “serious pastoral challenges” and consequences that it poses on a spiritual, social and personal level.

“Pornography comes in many forms but leaves its effects on all those exploited by or exposed to it. It is a great temptation that ravages men, women and children,” Bishop Richard Malone, chairman-elect of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth, told the bishops’ fall assembly Nov. 12.

“The number of men, women and children who have been harmed by pornography use is not negligible, and we have an opportunity to offer healing and hope to those who have been wounded.”

The growing awareness of pornography’s “grave” impact means the bishops have “an opportunity to educate and to shine light on the mercy and freedom found in Christ,” he said.

Bishop Malone, who heads the Diocese of Buffalo, N.Y., noted that the U.S. bishops have not issued a statement explicitly addressing pornography. He asked the assembled bishops to approve his committee’s request to write a statement on the issue to encourage more pastoral attention to it.

The U.S. bishops approved his request by a vote of 226-5.

Bishop Malone said the statement could also recommend “proven practical resources” for pornography users, their loved ones and clergy.

Now that the proposal for the statement has been approved, it must be drafted by bishops working in committee and then presented to the bishops at a future meeting.

Bishop Malone said that pornography poses “serious pastoral challenges” for clergy and the faithful. Pornography is widespread and “more accessible than in the past,” affecting people of younger and younger ages. Fewer people disapprove of it, and its use is increasing among both men and women in all walks of life, including the clergy.

Pointing to statistics that pornography is “a significant factor” in nearly 60% of divorces, the bishop cautioned that it is “highly addictive” and capable of altering brain chemistry and causing harmful social consequences.

The average age of first exposure to pornography is 10-11 years old, an alarming fact, he said.

“Love resonates in the human heart, because we were made for it,” Bishop Malone explained. “But we also know that there are many obstacles to true, lasting love. There are many counterfeit versions of love that promise much but deliver little.”

“There are many ways in which the body, created in the image of God as male and female, becomes a place of exploitation and ‘use,’ instead of a place of communion and love.”

Bishop Malone’s proposal drew strong support and suggestions from the floor of the assembly.

In the question-and-answer period, Bishop David Ricken of Green Bay, Wis., spoke “very much in favor” of the proposal.

“There are great advantages to the advances in social media. This is the dark side of all of that,” he said.

He warned that pornography “captures younger and younger people” and is “destroying marriages and families at a very rapid rate.”

He praised his diocese’s anti-pornography-addiction initiative, Reclaim Sexual Health, noting that there are many new resources and ministries on the topic.

Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, Kan., said that his diocese’s Catholic Charities affiliate reports that more than 50% of family-counseling clients have pornography use as a problem impairing their marriages and family life. He suggested that awareness of this issue should be raised at Sunday Mass and that it can be done through lay witness, too.

Bishop David Foley, retired head of the Diocese of Birmingham, Ala., praised the sacrament of reconciliation for combating pornography.

“I have found the power of the sacrament of penance in overcoming pornography is tremendous,” he said. “It’s true confessors are hearing of this sin more often, but they are working with their penitents. The regular practice of confession is an answer, a strong answer, to this problem.”

Salt Lake City Bishop John Wester noted that the bishops’ Committee on Communications has been working on anti-pornography legislation. Bishop Curtis Guillory of Beaumont, Texas, said his diocese recently held a workshop on the issue for priests. Many of his priests said that they previously lacked information on the widespread trouble of pornography.

Another speaker, Bishop Jaime Soto of Sacramento, Calif., asked that the statement highlight social aspects of pornography, including exploitation of women and children in the United States and abroad.

Bishop Malone said that possible statement topics include chastity and sexuality; basic information about pornography, its use and its effects on users and users’ families; the negative effects of pornography on society; an “authentic vision” of the human person; and “the mercy, grace of conversion and freedom Christ offers through his Church, especially through the sacraments and prayer.”

Comments

Commands can be “wonderful gifts” genius and vice versa. Nothing I’ve said contradicts Scripture or Tradition. He said “I thirst” and someone immediately gave him something to drink. There’s nothing controversial about that except that it contradicts the prevaling gynocentric portrayal of Christ Jesus. So I’m only contradicting a subtle gynocentrism. Which is rather fun. You should try it and watch the feminists skitter about. Jesus was a classic alpha male who spoke with absolute confidence all the time. He issued commands even as he was dying and people followed them instantly. Note that this in no way means he lacked love or mercy.

Posted by Al Hurley on Saturday, Nov 16, 2013 11:55 AM (EDT):

The conclusion to Wow’s comment that “So your emotional reimagination of the scene is demonstrably flawed” warrants comment just in case anybody seeing your response comment might take it seriously. What you refer to as commands are no such things; they are wonderful gifts of love and mercy. “I thirst” is our God made man telling us that his horrific human sufferings for our sake is total with nothing withheld. And, Christ is giving us His Blessed Mother, his co-Redeemer to be our mother as well. That is an astounding truth and reality, not coming from an “emotional imagination”. You appear to be so sure of yourself while flying in the face of Tradition and Scripture. I truly hope and pray that you wake up and begin to understand and accept what you are missing.

Posted by Skeleton Horse on Friday, Nov 15, 2013 7:06 PM (EDT):

Wow, “I thirst” is a command. “Woman, behold your son” is a command. “Behold your mother” is a command. So your emotional reimagination of the scene is demonstrably flawed.

Posted by Wow on Friday, Nov 15, 2013 12:03 AM (EDT):

@horse’s a##
I will pray for God to forgive your ignorance just as Jesus asked him to forgive his persecutors while hanging on the cross. No commands. Just forgiveness. We must not know the same bible. Wow!

Posted by Skeleton Horse on Thursday, Nov 14, 2013 9:28 PM (EDT):

It’s true I’m a bit of a troll in my provocative language, but I 100% believe in the substance of the comment. All those problems Sue mentioned are a result of women’s liberation. Men let them go and that’s what they chose so I don’t really have a lot of sympathy for them. They are free to make their own choices. If they choose en mass to place themselves in thrall to evil men, it’s all the more damning for feminism. I’m not talking about a power struggle. Husband= captain. Wife=first officer. If there is a power struggle it’s because females, i wouldnt call them women exactly, are staging a mutiny and men refuse to put it down. I know, I know, submissiveness doesn’t actually mean submissiveness, and head doesn’t actually mean head. Once you out it through the feminist crazy straw translator. “Humble, loving service” is a perfect definition of submissiveness, so it doesn’t surprise me to hear it used to describe the husband’s so called role today. Jesus was the undisputed alpha male if you want to use that language everywhere he went, even when he was hanging on the cross he was giving commands. Anyway, I don’t expect we’ll agree on this until we get a pope willing to stomp out the hideousness that is feminism and restore order in the family. But I do absolutely believe this and I’m not an anomaly. Women have chosen en mass to be the enemy of men. Men are beginning to accept the arrangement.

Posted by Al Hurley on Thursday, Nov 14, 2013 3:13 PM (EDT):

Skeleton Horse, Where in the world did that piece of irrelevant, nonsensical trash derive from? It shames men and insults women.

Posted by Dan on Thursday, Nov 14, 2013 11:03 AM (EDT):

Re: Skeleton Horse—It would grieve me to no end to think you might actually be serious in your comments. I suspect you are just an Internet troll that likes to stir things up on sites like this. Sadly, your reinforcement of a power struggle in marriage feeds right into the male-dominated mindset inherent in pornography. I believe that men and women have different roles and functions within a relationship and that God instituted the husband as the head of the household, but to suggest that this is a position of control and dominion is to deny the model offered by Jesus Christ. The true head of the household is to lead through humble and loving service. I submit that if more husbands were oriented toward family life this way, a multitude of problems would be healed. Please check your heart and your head on this.

Posted by Sue on Thursday, Nov 14, 2013 10:29 AM (EDT):

Skeleton, you need to understand the biblical meaning of “submissive”. Ask your parish priest. Using your definition of submissive I would have to say that women have never been more submissive to men than they are today. They have lowered themselves to satisfy every male “animal” instinct - including the “alpha” instinct. They are as close to becoming “male” as they can without a complete gender change. They now act like they can have “emotionally detached sex” with as many men as want to use them, they use foul language better than drunken sailors, they dress, or should I say “undress” as provocatively as possible to attract men, they “submit” to coerced abortions by their husbands & boyfriends, they allow themselves to be physically & emotionally abused by men. They are used by men to create “porn” for other men….I could go on & on. Women do not need to become “obedient” to men, they need to become women who understand their femininity as defined by Pope John Paul II (the feminine genius) vand become “obedient” to God’s will for them as women .

Posted by Skeleton Horse on Wednesday, Nov 13, 2013 10:56 PM (EDT):

Got it, understood, woman=good, man=bad. This is just another way to pander to women. When the bishops get serious about helping families we will know it because women will start shrieking as they are bumped back into submissiveness. Once men are actually in charge and women everywhere are subject to them, the problems, including the porn problem will get fixed. The elephant in the room is the massive rebellion of women against authority.

Posted by Sue on Wednesday, Nov 13, 2013 2:06 PM (EDT):

It is about time! This has been the elephant in the room in the Catholic Church for too many years. I am thankful that our Bishops have FINALLY awakened to this problem which causes such devastation to those addicted and to their families! This should be TOP PRIORITY in the Church today!

Posted by John Bowen on Wednesday, Nov 13, 2013 1:27 PM (EDT):

This is a very delicate topic to discuss and I can understand why it has taken so long to address, but thank God that our bishops have the courage to open this discussion. Pornography has gone mainstream and is the ‘silent’ killer of our entire society. It probably kills more souls than any other vice today. Pray that this message is spread in all our churches.

Posted by J.A.C. on Wednesday, Nov 13, 2013 12:17 PM (EDT):

the only way to fight pornography is to ban all forms of it…

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